The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-06-09
David Donald g Dream.

| tooA HUN tilG CupUOdIu {! udlHtlly Cug { e.
canter, and poured from il into a glass
4 small quantity of an amber colored fluid
There was no one to see him Go this: O
woman to grow pale, and utter UNDECIDED
protests; no little child to make mental
note OF action, as one of the things he
would do when he grew las big as papa =
David Donald was one, of those who pro-
| tested that he could not afford to marry
talked gibly enough about not asking any
woman to share with him his limited in
cone. because of the misery he would feel
to see her absolutely denying herself The
necessities of life for his sake. And vet
thefc was no absence of the necessities in
this room. Indeed, one would not have to
lool far to see many of the things which
might be considered luxuries The hand
some furniture, the few well selected pic
lures, the well-lilled hook shelves, the easy
char before the softly burning wood fire E,
the footstOol upon which lay the comforta-
bic clippers. even the little table with the
shaded students lamp, and the open mag.
| azlnR. spoke of ease, comfort, elegance,
width the owner was unwilling to give up
for ;he sake of home, wife and children
Andin the midst of all, by the same little
tablfstood the handsome young fellow and
upon the table was the glass with its harm.
less boxing contents. David Donald was
not az Incorporate man, and 10 ]ked with
contmptuous pity upon the drunkard as
he won't Keeling by, and smiled almost as
contenptuously when it was urged uron
him that no one was safe : that even with
the lowest there had been a beginning.
1t seemed an utter impossibilty he
had never lost command of his mself in
his life. That was women S alk,-their
lovely exaggerated eloquence and so to
night, coming home tired, he was doing as
he had often done before, taking little,
only alittle, frora that handsome decanter
to waInl and rest him. lie did not realize
this habit was growing into an almost
nightlF occurrence would have indignant
ly dened it. Yet it was true, for all that;
slowly and insidiously, the taste was de-
velopitg. And now he throws himself in
to hiseasy chair, plllowing his head upon
the Cushioned back. and laZily stretches
out his hand toward the glass, when, like
a fash he sees pair of earnest eyes, hears
pleading voice, with little culver in it:
Il do not ask you to give it up for my
sake. David, but for Christ's sake, who
died for you, for the sake of perishing
souls aDout YOU" The eyes and the voice
had gone far towards shaking his de
termination. about preserving that I'M
divided ircome even now they had power
enough to cause the hand to be withdrawn
empty while he endeavored to couture up
the sweet face to which the eyes belonged. |
But What was the matter with his brain ?
There were faces enough, indeed. but
whert did they all come from ? Young
men in The flush OF youth land health,
chanting, as he looked. to the sickly, sod
den hue of the habitual drunkard.-
llecould see the fadingof intellect, the
beast within them rising gradually higher
and higher. Children were shown him, |
and such children, changed from all the |
rents often with cruel wounds and bruises |
upon them from those parents hands, |
Wolnen's faces fill of terror. white lips |
that tried to speak. eyes full Of Wild !
pleading. a perfect sta Of faces, All with |
dreadful recognition in them as though !
theyFad. And you, too, VIII soon he as |
we ale. Z" Then they vanished us though a |
heav. pail had fallen upon them, and he
felt himself sinking down, down, into a |
horror of great dal kness. and yet the glass
was always before him. No longer quiet. |
it yilr;.ted and rocked from side to side,
the contents bubbling and seethng, the
whole air filled with arush Of sound, and |
YET it all came from the glass. And such |
sounds He had thought the faces ter. ihle,
but how much worse was this At first a
confused Babel. but the ear becoming ac
customed to it, could distinguish the in !
dividhal Sounds the clinking glasses ar |
unmrthful, wild laughter Of some drunk
en- reyel. the maudlin, drunken whine the |
the prayer of some suffering |
mother or wife, the wall of little children,
the shrek of murdered comrade, the cry |
of remorse from the murderer suddenly |
sobered, the suicide S groan, and deeper,
utterly horrible note of misery, beyond all |
description by human pen, the cry of lost |
souls. The sounds sWelled and swelled.
his brain seemed bursting, faster and fast
er rocked the glass, from which shot UP
at intervals flames of li.e, then as sudden
" as before the sound ceased, the darkness
passed, wondrons brightness took its
place. shining upon a figure with a won.
lerful glorilied face, and nail-perced
hands pointing to the glass upon the table.
while voice far more gentle. far more
pleading Than he had ever heard before re-
heated The words, For Christ's sake, who
lied for you. and for the sake Of your per
,shing brothers and sisters, will you not
give it up?" lie did not need to be told
whose figure it was, or whose voice spoke.
Ind with great sob his head sank down
lpon the table, and dong this he awoke.
md what an awakening Ia feel himself
,nce more among the living, to hear only
he familiar noises OF the great city: no
Honder q great cry of joy broke from his
ips ! Thank God, it was only dream
80 there was long pause after that
but - the sentence was never finished in
words. lie took the glass from the table
md dashed its qoptents into fire that in,
he deqanter shared the same fate. the
lanes leaping up greedily as though ask
ne for more, Then standing there before
he ire. with the memory of that dream {
mon him, David Donald registered vow,
With prayer for help to keep it, that from
I Il
boxing up with strange mist in his eye s,
e said aloud, s'for the sake of Christ who
gho died for me, and for the sake of my
erishing brothers and sisters. ~ YOh. $